The coordinators of the forum (Andrew MacMillan and Hartwig de Haen) have structured debate around three key questions to be addressed over the three weeks:

Week 1 What are the main services that need to be provided by an adequate global food goverance system?

Week 2 To what extent and how effectively are these now provided for by existing institutions? Are there overlaps? Where are the big gaps?

Week 3 What should a global governance system that is able to ensure an adequate and safe food supply for all humans at all times look like? What are the major issues that have to be addressed to put an adequate system in place? Through what processes could the necessary system emerge?

Andrew MacMillan and Hartwig de Haen also highlight 3 criteria for assessing the effectiveness of global institutions and food security, asking, can institutions:

Prevent future food crises and cushion their impact on food consumption of the poor?

Assure that all countries deliver on their repeated commitments to halve hunger by 2015?

Offer dynamic leadership towards the lasting eradication of hunger, respecting the human right to adequate food?”

I think these are three important criteria and over the next few weeks I will consider them against the reformed CFS and the GAFSP and start thinking of what other criteria must be met so that institutions might be better able to address food security and hunger. Any thoughts or ideas? Please share!